


We're even

by jackjones47



Series: A bigger team [2]
Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-30
Updated: 2017-08-18
Packaged: 2018-12-08 22:26:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11655966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jackjones47/pseuds/jackjones47
Summary: Root had saved her life in the past, and Joss Carter gets to help the hacker and pays her debt.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Set in the same universe of "A Bigger Team", some years later.

FBI agent Jocelyn Carter was having dinner in a small restaurant in Washington DC, when she heard a feminine voice behind her: “Hello, Joss, long time no see … “

“Root?”

“The one and only! Can I sit down?”

“Uh … yeah, of course; I expected someone else would come … “

“Hope you are not disappointed.”

“Jesus, no. Listen, I will never forget that you saved my life; and I think that you might be a bit … unhinged, but I don’t dislike you; so be my guest. Haven’t you eaten yet?”

“I’ve had a sandwich, so I’ll settle for a coffee … but please, don’t mind me, go on with your meal. Of course you are not carrying your phone now, right?” Then she motioned for a waiter to place her order, while Joss Carter nodded, answering silently her question.

They waited until they were alone, then Joss asked: “Are you alright? All of you?”

“Well, we are alive, but do you remember that menace I told you about? It’s more defined now; it has even a name … Samaritan.”

“Is it a menace for me too? For my son?”

“I don’t think so; but we have to keep it unaware of your connection with us.”

“And you will need my help.”

“Probably; sooner or later.”

The other woman sighed “I hope you are not here to tell me the bullshit that I am safer if I am kept in the dark.”

“That was Finch. I am here to tell you everything.”

“Okay, let’s get started then.”

“You will believe me, I guess?”

“You promise to tell the truth?”

“Absolutely!”

“Then I will believe you.”

“Okay. Harold Finch built an artificial intelligence, the Machine, that can use every electronic device to spy on everyone, and determine if there is a threat to the national security. He sold it to the Government, for one dollar … well, you should see yourself now, Joss, you really look weird.”

“It’s a lot to swallow, I guess.”

“Really? I have just begun!”

The other woman groaned “Go on, then.”

“Okay. The Government used the Machine only to detect the relevant threats, meaning threats to national security, but the Machine could predict every act of violence; the so-called irrelevant threats.”

“Oh … I see … Harold wanted to take care of those too, so he hired John.”

“Exactly.”

“And when they thwarted you, you knew there was something big looming.”

Root smiled “Yes, and I wanted to see what it was.”

“And you kidnapped him … “

“Well, Joss, that was the past … “

“Okay, but I heard you kidnapped him again, after that; anyway, go on.”

“Oh well, the second time I tried to reach the Machine, but I wasn’t lucky; besides, Shaw shot me, and they locked me up. In the funny farm.  
And there, the Machine contacted me, making me Her analogue interface.”

Carter frowned “Meaning what?”

“That She speaks to me.” Root stated, proudly.

“Oh. I have two questions, then … first, why ‘She’?”

“She is a sentient being, intelligent, and caring; a life.”

“Really? Mmh, I am not sure I should buy this.”

“You’ll see that yourself, someday; and the second question?”

“What you said … you mean this Machine doesn’t speak to Finch, or to the Government, instead?”

“Exactly. Harry is afraid that someone might abuse the Machine, should She fall in the wrong hands, so he curtailed Her power; as for other people, She gives only SSNs; they don’t even get to know if the number is a victim or a perpetrator. For him, an A.I. must be only an instrument in the hands of mankind.”

“A third question, then: why did … She choose you of all people?”

The brunette shrugged “I guess She found the good that is in me.”

Carter smirked “Or maybe, She thought you were the only person enough insane to listen to Her.”

“Aww, Joss, you say the sweetest things.”

“Whatever. But you were telling me about this … Samaritan?”

“Yes, it’s another A.I.; an evil one.”

“And what, exactly, is making it worse than your Machine?”

“Simply the fact that, in this case, it’s people that are its instruments, not the other way around.”

“What? You mean that a supercomputer is … the boss?”

“Basically, yes. It has apparently legitimate goals, like peace and order, but it has no regard for human life if someone interferes, or simply is in the wrong place at the wrong time. It gets to decide, and its decisions are often nefarious; Like that building that was bombed with a lot of people, reporters and cops.”

“It was Samaritan, you mean? Not that bunch of privacy terrorists … Vigilance?”

“Samaritan had created Vigilance; they needed an enemy to give the Government a reason to … hire a new A.I.”

“So, you are saying the Government thinks Samaritan is working for the nation, but it’s the nation that is working for Samaritan instead.”

“Exactly! By the way, I am sure it’s infiltrating every branch of it; I bet the FBI has Samaritan agents too, so keep your eyes open.”

“I see; your plight looks desperate, I am afraid; the Government and Samaritan against you, how come you haven’t surrendered yet?” 

An amused smirk appeared on Root’s lips “You don’t know us, do you? Well, Harold is irresolute at times, and he is not a great fighter, I must admit, but Reese and Shaw are true soldiers. Destroying Samaritan is their new mission, and they will do just that, or die trying.”

“And you?”

“Me? Let’s say that before the Machine my life was pointless; indeed, I had nothing and nobody worth to live or die for. Now I have a purpose and a … family of sorts.”

“A family? Seriously?”

“Seriously, Joss. Harold is the father I never had, John is like a big brother … I didn’t value him much, earlier, but I was wrong. And Lionel is the funny cousin.”

“I see; and Shaw is like a sister, I guess.”

“Uh … no, not exactly … “

“Oh, my God, you are blushing; I can’t believe it, you like her … in a romantic way, I mean!”

“Please, don’t tell her, if you happen to see her.”

“Of course not, because YOU will tell her, right?”

“Not a good idea now; you know Shaw, she’s not the romantic type; but I think she reciprocates someway.”

“Yeah? What makes you say that?”

“She could be in Barcelona as we speak, but decided to stay.”

“For you?”

“For the mission, she says, but I am hopeful about the future.”

“A future with Shaw and without Samaritan?”

“Not so likely, huh? But what is life without a bit of optimism? But now, tell me about Taylor; John asked me to inquire about him.”

“So eager to change subject, I see. Well, he is a good student, and I think he has a crush.”

“Oh, really? Didn’t he tell you, though?”

“No, but this girl came to our place to study with him, more than once, and I perceived something.”

“Do you want to know if it is serious?”

“How could you know that?”

“Well, if they have talked about their feelings, or kissed, near a phone or a street camera, the Machine would know … “

“God, you really want to ask the Machine about this?”

“Why not? If it’s serious, you may want to give him some cautionary advice.”

“What do you mean?”

“Come on, Joss, you are way too young to become a grandmother, don’t you think?”

“Oh, my! Well, thanks but no thanks, I won’t spy on my son for such a trivial reason … or let someone else spy on him.”

“As you wish. Okay, then; I am giving you a small booklet, and I expect you to keep it.” And Root gave it to her.

“What is it?”

“A cipher book, concocted by the Machine Herself; when you want to relay some information to Her, or to our team, you call Paul in New York and use this; I know you are on better terms with him now.”

“Wait, Samaritan will hear too, right?”

“Right, but it will not understand that a line like ‘Have you slept well tonight?’ means also ‘I have to meet with one of the team’. Or ‘Our son is running a temperature ’ means ‘This is urgent’. And Paul knows about this, so if you happen to tell him something weird, he’ll play along. So, no need to worry.”

“Okay, then. I really hope I will have an opportunity to help you soon.”

The brunette smiled “I am sure you will. It was nice to meet you again.” She said, getting ready to leave.

“Stay safe, Root, and give the others my best.”


	2. Two

Fbi Agent Joss Carter was working at her desk, when her colleague LeRoux approached her.

“Do you have a minute for me, Carter?”

“Sure; how can I help you?”

“Not here. Let’s go somewhere else. There is an empty room down there.” Carter frowned, but complied nonetheless; she had never liked that man; too smug, arrogant even, but she had a feeling that this was going to be important.

 

They sat down in the small room, the man staring at the woman, who began to squirm uncomfortably, and uttered: “What? I thought you needed something from me?”

“Excuse me, Agent Carter; I am not sure about the best way to introduce the topic.”

She shrugged “Just say it!”

“Okay, then … I know what you did to take out HR; you have a strong sense of justice, right?”

“Uh, yeah, I guess so … so have you, I think; that’s why you joined FBI?”

“Oh, absolutely. But tell me, have you ever felt … helpless? As if what you do is never enough?”

“Of course. There are good moments and bad moments, like in any other job; what’s important is that we keep trying to do our best.”

“Yes, but you can see that we are not going to destroy crime anytime soon; we can only restrain it a bit. Every small victory is, at the end of the day, pointless.”

“Pointless?”

“Oh, I don’t want to belittle what you have done, of course. But you must admit, someone else took the place of Alonzo Quinn, which was honestly inevitable.”

“What is your point, Agent LeRoux? Crime will always exist, as will law enforcement.”

“Well, maybe not!”

The woman flinched, surprised, and the man smirked. I caught her off guard, he thought, and now she is astounded.  
But Joss Carter was smart, and knew more than her colleague could imagine; she was surprised, yes, but only because she had realized that she was now in a room with a Samaritan plant in the Bureau. So she motioned to him, inviting him to go on; which he willingly did.

“Now, Joss, can I call you that? Imagine a world where criminal actions can be prevented, because we know what’s going to happen before it happens; we could stop it with no damage. And after a reasonable amount of time the bad guys would realize what’s happening, and would realize crime doesn’t pay.”

Carter played along “Well, felonies would be significantly reduced. Acts of impulse wouldn’t go away, though. Neither those committed by crazy people.”

“Yes, but more than 85% of crimes would vanish.”

“You did your homework, huh? Yeah, I have already seen this.”

The man turned suspicious “What? Where have you seen such a thing?”

“Oh, that movie starring Tom Cruise… Minority Report, I guess?”

LeRoux laughed, relieved “Ah, yes, I remember that one. But we don’t rely on soothsayers to accomplish our purpose; ours is a much more … high-tech approach.”

“Did you just say ‘we’? Are you implying that you are part of a group that uses technology that can prevent crime?”

“I am, and you can be too, if you want.”

“Really? And, why haven’t I heard of it? Is it because this is illegal?”

“Not illegal, technically; well, that’s doubtful, I must admit. But the biggest problem is that it’s politically tricky … do you remember the Northern Lights program?”

“What the fuck! It was you?!?”

“No, that was an outdated system, ours is much better. But really, now I am being too chatty; I spilled a lot, and you haven’t told me if you are interested yet.”

“Why me?”

“Should I really give you an answer? Isn’t it obvious? You have a moral compass, and you always wanted to stop criminals, so you are a logical choice.”

“But I must keep this for myself, right?”

“Right. Even your beloved ones must be kept in the dark. And beware of any electronic device; they are the eyes and ears of our system, but also of another one.”

“Another one? A hostile opponent, you mean?”

“You are pretty smart, Joss. Yes, what is left of Northern Lights, and a bunch of misfits, are trying to fight us. They have no hope, of course, but there is no reason to let them profit from our mistakes.”

“Why are they fighting your group?”

“Oh, I am sure they are only envious that we have a much better system.”

“Can I think it over? It’s a lot to assimilate.”

“Well, Joss, I must say I am mildly disappointed; I was sure you would join us enthusiastically, given you past deeds. Now you know already a lot of stuff … “

“Is that a threat? Relax, I would never lose a chance to fight bad guys; only, I thought it didn’t look cool to say yes immediately, like a spoilt child who can’t say no to an ice-cream.”

LeRoux laughed again “Okay, then, you are now a part of our team.”

“Should I quit the FBI?”

“Of course not! Look at me, I am still an agent; by the way, that’s exactly what our boss wants.”

“You mean, to stay where the action is?”

“Yes, the action, and the power. We can help better this way.”

“Will I be on another payroll, then?” She asked with a smirk.

“Of course, even if I didn’t take you for the greedy type.”

“Oh, my, I was only joking … but it’s good to know I can afford a good college for my son.”

“Sure, there is really nothing wrong if you are deservedly paid for a service rendered to the community.” 

“Okay, then. You mentioned a boss; does he have a name?”

“Uh, about that, I think you’ll have to wait; you must earn our boss’ trust before; as I said, I have told you an awful lot already.”

“So, what do you expect me to do?”

“I am your handler now, Joss, so my instructions are simple: I’ll let you know what you have to do at the right time; until then, keep your eyes open, and report to me anything of interest.”

“Anything of interest? Sounds vague.”

“I trust your judgment; but just to be clear, anything unusual you may hear, especially from your acquaintances in New York, about someone interfering with people’s lives in a violent way.”

“Okay, I can do that.”

“I have no doubt. Welcome onboard, Joss. And please, call me Steve” The man said, flashing a blinding smile; then, turning serious again, he added: “Only one more thing: you know what collateral damage is, I think.”

“Are you kidding me? I have been in the middle of a war, I know a lot about collateral damage.”

“Yeah, good, because, you know, you have to break some eggs to make an omelet … “

“I get it, sometimes there are people who must suffer, or even die, for the greater good, right?”

“As I said, you are smart, and I understand that you totally accept this?”

“Well, I guess so, unless the damage is bigger than the good we do.”

“Oh, of course, but that’s never going to happen; our … boss is so smart that this isn’t even an option.”

“Okay, I am onboard, then.” LeRoux smiled, again.

Joss Carter smiled back, even if a frightening thought was crossing her mind: ‘My God, I have just been recruited by Samaritan!’


	3. Three

New York, Central Park, two weeks later.

Joss Carter was walking through the park, till she reached a camera-free zone; there, she stopped and sat down on a bench, waiting.

After a while, she heard footsteps approaching her from behind, then a familiar, gravelly voice. “Hallo, Joss, nice to see you again.”

“Hallo, John; how are you? Is everything okay?”

“Unfortunately, no. Shaw is missing.” The man replied, sitting down beside her.

“Oh, God, no! What happened?”

The man looked at her “Are you sure you have not been followed? Or bugged?”

“John, give me some credit, please. Nobody followed me, and Samaritan is not listening to our words now.”

“How can you be sure? If someone put a device on your dress, or your coat, at the FBI … “

“That’s a possibility. But after I had that talk with Root I bought some new clothes, that I concealed in a hidden drawer in my house; today, I went home from work, had a shower, then took some of them out; I am wearing them now, and as sure as hell they are not bugged.”

“Okay, okay, I almost forgot how good you are.”

“We’re good then, so I’ll ask again: what happened, exactly?”

“Samaritan crashed the stock market. We went to Wall Street to prevent a financial meltdown, but they were waiting for us.”

“A trap?”

The man nodded. “Shaw sacrificed herself to save us; we are not sure if she is still alive, but … it doesn’t look good.”

“I am surprised it wasn’t you.”

“I was wounded, barely conscious. Lionel told me later what happened; she kissed Root, then threw herself into a hail of bullets to press a button that could get us to safety. It worked, but she was hit, at least twice.”

“Did you go back there, later?”

“We did, but nobody was there anymore.”

“How is Root coping?”

“In a very bad way. I think she is in love with Shaw; and, as absurd as it may seem, I am sure it’s mutual.”

“I am so sorry.”

“We followed a trail, that led us to a small town upstate, but it was pointless.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Keep your eyes open, but be careful; I am sure Samaritan has hired people in every branch of the Government; I wouldn’t be surprised if some colleague of yours were an operative of that AI.”

“You know what? You are right; I know two people in the Bureau that are definitely Samaritan operatives.”

“Really? Can I know their names?”

“Of course; one is agent Steve LeRoux … “

“LeRoux, okay, and the other one … “

“The other one, don’t freak out, John, it’s me!” 

“WHAT?”

“Yes, LeRoux recruited me. I said yes, since I can be useful as a FBI agent, but as a double agent … “

“ … you can be decisive; smart move, Joss!”

“Yeah, I only hope I can help you guys with this mess; Shaw missing, Jesus … “

“We would really appreciate that, Joss. Losing a team member is bad, but we now have Root that is more reckless than usual; she’d do anything to have Shaw back, and I am afraid she’s going to get herself killed.”

“I promise, I’ll do anything I can to prevent that, and to find Shaw. If I can find a clue, I’ll tell you immediately.”

“But please, Joss, be cautious.”

“Root saved my life, John. I’ll be careful, but I’ll try very hard to be of help. Don’t doubt it.”

“Okay, then, we are glad to have you too in our team again.”

“What the fuck? I have always been a part of the team, John.” 

“Oh, of course, so you are a triple agent now, huh? The FBI, Samaritan, team Machine … sorry that Finch cannot pay for your service, at the moment. He isn’t swimming in gold currently.”

Carter chuckled “Don’t worry, John, I have already two paychecks. And I don’t need any money to do the right thing.”

 

FBI headquarters, Washington, five weeks later.

“Hello, Joss, have a moment?”

“Of course Steve, sure.”

LeRoux looked around, but no one was paying attention, so he went on: “You know, Joss, we have realized you are good at interrogating people. You made more than one suspect spill. You learned in Iraq, I guess.”

“Yeah, I have some tricks up my sleeve. And I won’t be coy, I am good at it.”

“Good, because we could use your proficiency on a prisoner.”

“We … we the FBI or … the other boss?”

“The other one.”

“Well, I am ready to comply, but I must warn you; my methods give results, usually, but it takes time.”

“Yes, don’t worry about that.”

“Okay, because, you know, when I have a prisoner in front of me, what I do is earning his trust, and it’s not going to be quick.”

“All right, as I said, I’m not saying you have to torture her; the hell, our operatives already did that, to no avail; that woman is the strongest person they have ever met, as they told me.”

“A … a woman?”

“Yes, a woman, but more dangerous than most men you may know; is that a problem for you? You made a face … “

“No, no problem at all; only, I was expecting that our opponents were all men … don’t know why.”

“Yeah, I get it, it’s hard to believe there are many badasses that are women; but again, you are living proof that it is possible, aren’t you?” LeRoux laughed.

“I guess so.” Carter replied, giggling; then she added : “One more thing, I need to know everything about her … her weaknesses, her hopes, her relationships. And I am going to introduce myself to her, with my real name.”

LeRoux frowned “About the information, okay, there is a file ready in New York for you … but give her your name? Wouldn’t it be wiser to give her a fake one?”

“God, Steve, I was on every newspaper of New York when I took down HR. Guess what happens to earning her trust if I tell her ‘Hey, I am Lucy Smith’, and she answers ‘No, you are Jocelyn Carter’?”

“Oh, yeah, I didn’t think about it … I must ask my boss, but I think you’ll have a green light; she isn’t going to tell anything about you to anyone.” He took a phone out of his pocket, glanced at it, and said: “Okay, the boss agrees.”  
“Wait, Steve, you didn’t even ask him; was he listening to us?”

“Uh, yeah, sort of … cannot explain further, sorry.“

“Right, I am not a trusted member of your team yet, so don’t worry. So, she is in New York, huh?”

“Yes, but you cannot know the exact location, unfortunately. I am afraid we’ll take you there blindfolded, sorry.”

“Don’t worry, I said; only, can I visit my former husband there?”

“Sure, why not?”

“Okay. I think I’ll call him. When are we going?” 

“Tomorrow morning. We go to interrogate the woman, then you can have dinner with him.”

“Perfect; thank you, Steve.” She smiled at him politely, but she was trying hard to hide her excitement. ‘God, it’s Shaw! It must be Shaw!’, she thought.


	4. Four

The subway car, the same day, in the evening

 

“Hallo Harry, John; what’s so urgent?”

“Miss Groves, Agent Carter called his former husband, Paul.”

“Oh? Some coded message? And why didn’t the Machine tell me?”

“Yes, something big. And I think the Machine was worried you could do something … rash. Maybe you should sit down.”

The brunette paled, then spoke in a faint voice: “Is it about Shaw?”

“Probably. She said she’s coming here in New York tomorrow with her Samaritan handler to interrogate a captive woman.”

“My God … Harry, John, please help me with this.”

John whispered: “Of course we will.” And he squeezed her shoulder, lightly.

Finch continued: “They don’t trust Carter completely yet, so she’ll be blindfolded when they take her to the building where the prisoner is. The Machine assured me She’ll locate Agent Carter and tell us as soon as she is in the city.”

Root then asked the Machine: “Should we act tomorrow?”

She listened, then informed her teammates: “Carter will interrogate her tomorrow, then will go to visit Paul for dinner. I’ll be in his house too, and I’ll talk with her. The day after, she’ll go again for another round, and she’ll bring some devices that will help us to enter that place.”

John said: “So, we’ll move into action the day after tomorrow … but Root, let’s really hope it’s Shaw this time.”

“Yeah, John, I know; but Carter is sure it’s her, and I trust Carter with my life.”

“Oh, I totally agree with you on this.”

 

Agent Carter could take her blindfold away only inside the building where she was supposed to interrogate the mysterious prisoner, so she had no idea in which part of the city she was; she hoped the Machine and her friends knew. 

LeRoux gave her a thick file and let her sit at a desk in a secluded place, telling her she had two hours to read it.

Excited, she opened it, and did a wonderful job in feigning indifference when she saw the name of the prisoner: Sameen Shaw, former doctor, former Marine, former ISA assassin, and current villain.

When the reading was over, she was led by LeRoux and two other operatives through several corridors; at the end of one of them, she saw two orderlies dragging away a man who was behaving weirdly. Was this an asylum?

After a couple of minutes they stopped in front of a closed door. LeRoux said “Here you go.”

Carter asked, surprised: “Should I get inside alone?”

“Well, if you want conquer her heart and mind … yes? We’ll be outside, though, eyes and ears wide open.”

“She is dangerous, you said … “

“You can bet on it; but she’s chained, and cannot harm you.”

Carter inhaled, then resolutely opened the door. And there, sitting in a chair and tied like a wild beast, was Shaw.

Shaw looked at her and flinched imperceptibly … damn, a human wouldn’t have noticed, but Samaritan probably had, so she took a risk and said: “Have we met? Looks like you recognized me.”

After a moment Shaw replied: “We have never met, but I remember you: Detective Carter, the woman who destroyed HR. You are quite a celebrity in the Big Apple.”

“You flatter me. Okay, you know something about me, but I sure as hell know a lot about you. And what I read in your file is bothering me.”

Shaw chuckled “Oh really? And why is that?”

“Because that file is about a woman who wants to protect people and her country; as a doctor, or as a soldier. How is it possible that you ended up in a rogue team of misfits trying to stop the inevitable from happening?”

Shaw was staring at Carter, obviously puzzled; the FBI agent seemed a genuine Samaritan operative, loyal and faithful to her artificial intelligence; but that couldn’t be true, she knew Carter too well … she had to be playing a role, Shaw was sure of that … but she wasn’t sure how to respond.  
Oh well, let’s play along, she thought. She sighed. “Okay, Carter, you are obviously sure you are with the good guys here, so I won’t try to convince you that it’s not the truth.”

“Well, thanks, but the reason why I am here is that I must convince you that your team is not only losing, but also on the wrong side of this fight. Please, would you do me this favor? Would you listen to me?”  
And, with a sympathetic smile, she sat down in front of Shaw and took her left hand in hers.

Shaw froze; if the other woman were a real Samaritan operative, she wouldn’t have accepted the contact; not that she could avoid it, given her restraints, but she would have roared, to say the least. With Carter, she simply shrugged.

What she didn’t get was, why was she doing this, but she understood when the older woman began to lightly press with a finger under Shaw’s palm of the hand, to draw her attention, then, in rapid succession, again and again, longer and shorter touches, invisible to anyone and almost imperceptible even to Shaw … Morse code!

Carter said: “So, what do you think your bunch of villains is trying to do here?” Whilst her finger said: “ROOT AND JOHN SAY HELLO.”

Shaw replied, hiding her relief: “We want to stop the dictatorship of an evil artificial intelligence bent on world domination.” Her finger said: “CAN YOU HELP ME?”

“We don’t want to dominate the world, but render it a better place.” “THAT’S WHY I AM HERE.”

“Are you sure your boss isn’t lying to you?” “WHEN?”

“Frankly, I’ve never met him. I am still climbing the ladder.” “TOMORROW, IF YOU GIVE ME A CHANCE TO COME BACK. KEEP READY.”

“Him, did you just say? It’s more an ‘it’.” “TELL HER NOT TO BE RECKLESS.”

“I don’t know what you mean.” “I WILL.”

“You know what? I get it, that you are sincere, and you think you are doing the right thing, but someday you’ll realize you are wrong; I respect you, but maybe you have been holding my hand for too long a time.” And Shaw withdrew her hand.

“Have I made you uncomfortable? Sorry, I was only trying to convey that I am not the enemy here.”

“ I hope so. But if you have read my file, you should know I am not the greatest fan of physical contact.”

“Okay, I apologize again. And now, I am afraid our little chat has come to an end; we’ll start again tomorrow, if it’s good for you?”

Shaw shrugged “Sure, why not?”

 

“Great, Joss, you are breaking down her defenses. She even let you take her hand without crushing it!”

“I guess she trusts me; we had an honest talk, and tonight she’ll mull it over; tomorrow I’ll try to convince her that her cause is lost, and that her friends don’t have to die for nothing. Because, if they surrender we won’t kill them, right?”

“Absolutely not, my dear Jocelyn, they would be very valuable assets, should they decide to join us.” It hadn’t been LeRoux’ voice that had replied, but another one, with a thick British accent, coming from behind.

Carter turned around and saw an old, wrinkled man with a smug smirk. She disliked him instantly, but answered politely: “Nice to meet you, Sir. I get that you are the boss here?”

“No, I am only the highest-ranking of his people. But rest assured you’ll meet him very soon; you are doing well, and earning his trust.”

“I hope so; in the meantime, as you know my name and I don’t know yours … “

“Oh, of course, where are my manners? I am Greer.” And he extended his hand for her to shake.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Greer. I hope you’ll let me go to visit my former husband.”

“Of course; It’s good to know you two are reconnecting.”

“Yes, we are on better terms now.”


	5. Five

The evening, in Paul’s place

 

Root was silently holding a sheet of paper, on which it had been written ‘You know LeRoux bugged you? Go take a shower and change all your clothes; leave the old ones in the bathroom. No bugs in this house, though.”

Carter nodded, and did as requested. Twenty minutes later, Paul and Joss were sitting at a table near a window, opposite to each other, visible from outside (and Root was sure someone was watching).

Root was under the table, hidden. Joss began to speak, moving her lips as little as possible to prevent any possible reading of the labial, then Root answered; when the brunette was speaking, Paul was moving his lips indistinctly and silently.

“It’s Shaw, Root, I saw her. But you already knew, didn’t you?”

Root exhaled, shaken. “Probably, but to have an official confirmation is … amazing.”

“She is on the third floor, I’ll draw a map for you.”

“No need, Joss, we already have the blueprints of that building. I only need you to tell me her exact location on those.”

“Of course.”

“Thanks; are you supposed to go back?”

“Yes, I’ll go tomorrow; we made a good act, Shaw and I. I convinced Samaritan that I have a good chance to turn her. But we have exchanged information; Morse code, you know.”

“So, she knows we are coming?”

“She knows.”

“She must be relieved, then.”

“Yes. She is worried that you could be reckless, though.”

“She told you that? You see, she cares for me, Joss!”

“Yeah, but you really should pay heed to that piece of advice; otherwise, two very angry females will kick your ass.”

“Aww, Joss, you care for me too … “

“Whatever … and tell John the same, I care for him more than I care for you.”

“Sure thing, Joss.”

“By the way, how do you plan to intervene?”

“Oh, that’s very simple; we’ll give you a small device that you will activate within a short radius from a surveillance camera within the building. That will send their whole surveillance system into a loop, so they won’t see us coming. Then you’ll put it in the left pocket of your jacket.”

“It could work. And what about me? I am supposed to react, if I am at the center of the action, otherwise Samaritan will have suspicions.”

“We’ll have a gun pointed to your head, so you’ll be forgiven for your lack of reaction.”

 

“Okay, Root. See you tomorrow.”

 

After the brunette hacker was gone, Paul spoke for real: “Joss, I don’t like that you are risking your life for that woman; and I don’t like her too.”

“It’s not for her that I am risking my life. There is something really bad happening, and I am in the best position to prevent it. Besides, she is the woman that saved my life when Simmons tried to kill me, I owe her a lot.”

“Oh, I didn’t know it was her.” 

“Yeah; and John is the one that helped Taylor when he was kidnapped, so … “

“Okay, I get it.”

“Why don’t you like her?”

“Well, she’s so … focused; like someone willing to do anything to reach her goal.”

“Indeed, she is. Willing to do anything, even to die, to avoid a world dictatorship like history has never seen. And so am I.”

Paul sighed “All right. Only, try to remember you have a son.”

“Oh, I remember that, believe me. I’m doing this for him too.”

 

The asylum, the day after, in the interrogation room.

 

“So, Shaw, have you pondered my words tonight?”

Shaw snickered “The night is made to sleep, Agent Carter, not to think about things.”

“Okay, so have you thought about it yesterday in the evening, or this morning?”

“I have, but I am a tough gal; it’s not so easy to conquer my heart and mind.”

“I didn’t expect so much; but maybe, for your friends’ sake, you could help to put an end to this pointless fight.”

Before Shaw could reply, the door behind her opened, so the F.B.I. agent turned around, saying: “Steve, I said I wanted to be alone … “.

She froze when she saw Root, smirking and holding a gun. “Surprise, Agent! Good old Steve is taking a nap.” 

The hacker handcuffed the other woman, tying her to her chair; then she reached for the device in Carter’s pocket, retrieving it.

Carter felt a sting on her arm, then the world began to spin; she only managed to see the brunette going to Shaw and setting her free, a blinding smile on her lips; their lips, to be honest. And then they were gone, and Carter passed out.

 

Three days later, in Paul’s place.

 

Root asked: “Any suspicion on you, Joss?”

“No, LeRoux was responsible for the place, and Samaritan blamed him; I was only the interrogator.”

“How do you know that he was held responsible?”

“Well, he disappeared. Vanished. I bet they have transferred him somewhere else.”

“That’s correct, Joss; we are pretty sure he was sent to a hotter place.”

“Florida? Texas?”

“The Hell, unfortunately.”

Carter gasped “Jesus, Samaritan doesn’t play nice, huh?”

“No, Joss. A reminder to you, and to all of us, that we must be very careful. Our enemy is ruthless.”

“I see … okay, now I am more determined than ever to keep fighting.”

“Thanks, Joss. And thanks for helping with Shaw as well. We are even now.”

“Even?”

“Yeah, you don’t owe me anything for saving your life. You saved Shaw, so … “

“Okay, Root, but we are a team, with a common purpose, so this is bullshit. We’ll help one another as best as we can, and won’t waste our time calculating who owes the other more or less. Okay?”

“Okay, Joss.”

“Only, tell me if you have told her.”

“Uh … no, I didn’t; but she did say something.”

“Oh! What did Shaw say, then?”

“She said that she realized she would do anything to protect the team … and me; and when she was in the hands of Samaritan she realized how important I was to her.”

“Wow … go on, girl!”

“Well, those were her last intelligible words; for the rest of the night there were only … moans.”

Carter chuckled “Okay, only promise me that you’ll choose me as best man at your wedding, when all this Samaritan mess is over.”

“Sure thing, Joss!”


End file.
